JANUARY 22, 2004

Sauber and Ferrari

The suggestion that has appeared in various magazines in recent days that the Sauber is too closely related to the 2003 Ferrari is not a surprise. Those who ventured to the Sauber launch in Salzburg last week noticed immediately that the car does have a lot of similarities with the Ferrari 2003-GA but then the new Toyota has lots of similarities with the Ferrari as well. Fast cars tend to be copied.

Proving that teams have been copying one another or even working together is virtually impossible because every car needs to be different from the others because of rule changes and different specifications. The new Sauber may have a Ferrari 2004 engine and a 2003 gearbox but this suggests that it is less likely rather than more likely that the Sauber chassis is a copy of the F2003GA, which would probably not be able to accommodate the 2004 Ferrari engine without being modified. Similarly the rear bodywork regulations have been changed significantly this year and so the shape of the Sauber cannot be a direct copy of the Ferrari.

There may be suspicions that teams have been working together but proving that is another matter.

Copying has always been a part of the sport and it is likely that it will remain so......